This dataset provides values for GOVERNMENT DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

In the third quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt was the highest in all the European Union, amounting to 158 percent of Greece's gross domestic product. In spite of Greece's total being high by EU standards, it marks a substantial decrease from the historical high point reached by the country's national debt of 207 percent of GDP in 2020. Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal also all have government debt worth over one year's production of their economies, while the small Baltic country of Estonia has the smallest national debt when compared with GDP, at only 24 percent. In debitum incrementum?A country’s national debt, also known as government debt or public debt, is defined as all borrowings owed by the government of a country. It usually comprises internal debt – owed to other governmental departments – and external debt, which is held by the public and is owed to government bond owners. National debt can be caused by a struggling economy in general, or by low tax income, which usually leads to money being borrowed from other governments for support, which in turn cannot be paid back right away. At first glance, a high national debt is not always a sign of a struggling economy – but since increasing debt can slow down economic growth significantly, it is imperative for the respective government to seek a steady reduction in the long run.

Key information about European Union Government Debt: % of GDP

• European Union Government debt accounted for 81.6 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2024, compared with the ratio of 81.5 % in the previous quarter.
• EU government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 2000 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 91.5 % in Mar 2021 and a record low of 62.4 % in Dec 2007.

CEIC calculates quarterly Government Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Government Debt and rolling sum of quarterly Nominal GDP. Eurostat provides Government Debt in EUR and Nominal GDP in EUR. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK.


Related information about European Union Government Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, EU National Government Debt reached 16,136.9 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP reached 4,430.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Several European Union member states have struggled with high levels of public debt in the period since the Global Financial Crisis. In particular, Greece's debt skyrocketed during the recession which followed the crisis, culminating in a period of intense political and social upheaval during the early 2010s in which the country came close to having to leave the Euro single currency zone. Along with Italy, Portugal, Spain and France, Greece is part of a group of EU members who have seen their debt soar to a value worth over one year's aggregate production in their economies (i.e. 100% of GDP) due to slow economic growth coupled with increasing public liabilities due to the need to provide emergency support to their domestic financial systems. Belgium, while also a part of this group of high-debt ratio countries has quite different circumstances, as its debt ratio has in fact fallen since the 1990s, remaining 20 percent below its 1995 level, even after a spike due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The average level of government debt to GDP ratios in the European Union and the Euro currency area increased rapidly following the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 and subsequent recession, peaking in the Eurozone at 93.2 percent of GDP. This figure was exceeded once more in 2020 due to increased borrowing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Eurozone average now being over 90% of yearly production. The debt to GDP ratio measures the stock of government debt which is yet to be paid off in relation to the Gross Domestic Product of a country or region, which is the monetary value of goods and services produced and sold in a year. This ratio gives a clearer picture of debt sustainability than by looking at the absolute value of debt, as a country with a large economy may be able to easily pay off debts which seem large in absolute terms, but are in fact small in comparison to GDP.

Key information about European Union External Debt: % of GDP

• European Union External Debt accounted for 111.1 % of the country's Nominal GDP in 2023, compared with the ratio of 118.2 % in the previous year.
• EU External Debt: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2008 to Dec 2023.
• The data reached an all-time high of 136.7 % in Dec 2015 and a record low of 111.1 % in Dec 2023.

CEIC calculates External Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly External Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. European Central Bank provides External Debt in EUR. Eurostat provides Nominal GDP in EUR. External Debt as % of Nominal GDP covers Euro Area 20. External Debt as % of Nominal GDP prior to 2013 covers Euro Area 19.


Related information about European Union External Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of EU, Current Account recorded a surplus of 133.2 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 4.8 USD bn in Nov 2024.
• EU Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 7.2 USD bn in Nov 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 239.3 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's External Debt reached 18,601,546.0 in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,430.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.

This dataset provides values for PRIVATE DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Key information about European Union Total Debt: % of GDP

• European Union Total Debt accounted for 719.1 % of the country's GDP in 2022, compared with the ratio of 797.7 % in the previous year.
• EU Total Debt: % of GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 2001 to Dec 2022.
• The data reached an all-time high of 815.6 % in Dec 2020 and a record low of 547.8 % in Dec 2001.

CEIC calculates annual Total Debt as % of Nominal GDP from annual Total Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. Total Debt is calculated as the Total Liabilities less Equity & Investment Fund Shares and Financial Derivatives. Eurostat provides Total Debt in EUR and Nominal GDP in EUR. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK.

As of 2024, Ukraine had the highest government debt of any candidate country for membership of the European Union, with its debt being worth approximately 95 percent of its gross domestic product. This debt burden was in line with the average government debt level of European Union countries, which stood at 80 percent in 2023, driven by highly indebted countries such as Greece, Italy, and France. All candidate countries for EU membership apart from Ukraine have relatively low levels of government debt, a positive sign for their chances of joining the EU, as the Copenhagen Criteria require that a country which joins the EU must have a stable market economy which will be able to deal with the impact of joining the union. Government debt levels of around 50 percent are common among developed countries and are not considered to be detrimental to economic progress.

This dataset provides values for HOUSEHOLDS DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Key information about European Union Private Debt: % of Nominal GDP

• European Union Private Debt accounted for 78.27 % of its Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a ratio of 78.60 % in the previous quarter
• EU Private Debt contribution to Nominal GDP ratio is updated quarterly, available from Sep 1997 to Dec 2024, with an average share of 88.81 %
• The data reached an all-time high of 104.24 % in Jun 2010 and a record low of 74.22 % in Sep 1997

CEIC calculates quarterly Private Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Private Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. Private Debt is calculated as the sum of Loans to Non Financial Sector and Households. European Central Bank provides Private Debt in EUR. Eurostat provides Nominal GDP in EUR.

This statistic shows the national debt in the member states of the European Union in the second quarter of 2024. The data refer to the entire state and are comprised of the debts of central government, provinces, municipalities, local authorities and social security. In the second quarter of 2024, Greece's national debt amounted to about 369.4 billion euros. National debt in the EU member states National or government debt is the debt owed by a central government. No country in the European Union is debt-free, although some are able to manage their debts better than others. Debt is influenced by the economic situation of a country, factors such as unemployment, the rate of inflation or the trade figures have a significant impact on its extent, and are, in turn, influenced by the national debt. The economic crisis has hit some EU countries harder than others; Spain, Ireland and Greece especially have been struggling economically since 2008. Greece’s national debt has skyrocketed over the past few years, and the same can be said about Spain and Ireland. Other EU countries, like France and the United Kingdom have been affected as well, albeit not as severely. The national debt of a country can be reduced by applying several measures: money can be borrowed (for example in the form of rescue packages), austerity programs can be enforced, taxes can be increased or central banks can inject liquidity into the economy through the implementation of quantitative easing policies. Some critics of the policy claim that this could lead to a higher level of inflation, which, if severe enough, could have a detrimental impact on living standards.

This statistic shows a forecast of the national debt of selected euro countries from 2020 to 2024 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). The national debt figures include the debt of the central state, the states, the communities and the parishes, as well as social security. In Greece, the national debt is estimated to amount 154.4 percent of the GDP in 2024.

European Union debt to gdp ratio for 2022 was 79.61%, a 15.34% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>European Union debt to gdp ratio for 2021 was <strong>94.95%</strong>, a <strong>5.67% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>European Union debt to gdp ratio for 2020 was <strong>100.62%</strong>, a <strong>16.32% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>European Union debt to gdp ratio for 2019 was <strong>84.30%</strong>, a <strong>1.2% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year.

The external debt (or the foreign debt), at any given time, is the outstanding amount of the actual current (and not contingent) liabilities that require payment(s) of principal and/or interest by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy. The external debt is the portion of a country's debt that was borrowed from creditors outside the country, including commercial banks, other governments or international financial institutions (such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank). The assets/liabilities include debt securities, such as bonds, notes and money market instruments, as well as loans, deposits, currency, trade credits and advances due to non-residents. The loans must usually be paid in the currency in which they was made. In order to earn the needed currency, the borrowing country may sell and export goods to the lender's country. The data are expressed in % of GDP. Copyright notice and free re-use of data on: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/about-us/policies/copyright

Key information about European Union Household Debt: % of GDP

• European Union household debt accounted for 44.1 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with the ratio of 44.4 % in the previous quarter.
• EU household debt to GDP ratio is updated quarterly, available from Sep 1997 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 54.2 % in Jun 2010 and a record low of 38.9 % in Sep 1997.

CEIC calculates quarterly Household Debt as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Household Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. European Central Bank provides Household Debt in EUR. Eurostat provides Nominal GDP in EUR. Loans are used due to the lack of Flow of Funds statistics. Household Debt includes Mortgages and Consumer Loans.


Related information about European Union Household Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, EU Household Debt reached 6,956.2 USD bn in Jan 2025.
• Money Supply M2 in EU increased 3.3 % YoY in Jan 2025.
• EU Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 297.5 USD bn in Jan 2025.
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 1.4 Months of Import in Dec 2024.
• EU Domestic Credit reached 25,135.4 USD bn in Dec 2024, representing an increased of 2.7 % YoY.

This statistic shows the debt-to-GDP ratio for selected European countries in 2014. While Romania's debt-to-GDP ratio was 104 percent in 2014, Ireland's was almost four times as high. The majority of the selected countries had debt-to-GDP ratios of more than 200 percent in 2014.

This statistic shows the deficit and public debts of European Union (EU) member countries in the last quarter of 2023, as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It appears that the most in-debt country was Greece, with a deficit and public debt amounting to 161.9 percent of the national GDP.

This dataset provides values for GOVERNMENT DEBT TO GDP.2018 reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This dataset provides values for PRIVATE DEBT TO GDP reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.